UnrealIRCd
Encyclopedia
UnrealIRCd is an open source
IRC Daemon
, originally based on dreamforge, and is available for Unix-like operating systems and Windows
. Since the beginning of development on UnrealIRCd circa May 1999, many new features have been added and modified, including advanced security features and bug fixes, and it has become a popular server.
's DreamForge IRCd, "a now deprecated IRC server that was the predecessor to the actively maintained bahumut server."
On July 13, 2007, Carsten V. Munk (stskeeps), the founder of the UnrealIRCd project, announced that the future v4.0 would be a fork of InspIRCd. Later on, this was dropped and notice was given that it will be a complete recode.
It includes the ability to password-protect server restart and stop commands, for operator use only. The Windows version includes error reporting on startup. Unreal supports linking to IRC Services, and allowing Services to change channel modes.
Server-side filtering can be used by administrators to block transfers of files, or certain domains.
Unreal 3.2's "new-style" configuration file format is described as "more verbose" than traditional IRCd servers, which makes it easier set up; it is divided into "blocks" of related options, and has explanatory comments for each option.
This server is described as having "possibly the most security features of any IRC server."
of version 3.2.8.1, from November 2009 to June 12, 2010, contained a trojan
that allowed people to execute commands with the privileges
of the user running the daemon
, regardless of any user restrictions. The problem was fixed - the current tarball download is not suspected to contain a trojan.
The "Firefox XPS" cross-protocol Javascript-based attack on IRC networks was reported in January 2010; UnrealIRCd developers later released a patch to set its anti-spoofing configuration parameter to "on" - the default was previously "off" - and "kill/zline/etc such connections". It is the first question in the configuration file.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
IRC Daemon
Daemon (computer software)
In Unix and other multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user...
, originally based on dreamforge, and is available for Unix-like operating systems and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. Since the beginning of development on UnrealIRCd circa May 1999, many new features have been added and modified, including advanced security features and bug fixes, and it has become a popular server.
Development
UnrealIRCd was originally based on DALnetDALnet
DALnet is an Internet Relay Chat network that is currently populated by a stable population of around 30,000 users in about 18,000 channels, with 40 servers making up the network....
's DreamForge IRCd, "a now deprecated IRC server that was the predecessor to the actively maintained bahumut server."
On July 13, 2007, Carsten V. Munk (stskeeps), the founder of the UnrealIRCd project, announced that the future v4.0 would be a fork of InspIRCd. Later on, this was dropped and notice was given that it will be a complete recode.
Features
Some of Unreal's features are referred to as "nonstandard", in that they are not listed in the IRC-related RFCs 1459 and 2811-2813, but are beneficial "from a security point of view." The software "possibly has the most security features of any IRC server", including "spam filters, different styles of user bans, various channel modes to prevent abuse and flooding, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection support, and compressed server connections." For example, the shun command blocks a user from transmitting any text, the spamfilter uses regular expressions and can automatically ban, shun or disconnect users, and dccdeny can block files from being transmitted.It includes the ability to password-protect server restart and stop commands, for operator use only. The Windows version includes error reporting on startup. Unreal supports linking to IRC Services, and allowing Services to change channel modes.
Server-side filtering can be used by administrators to block transfers of files, or certain domains.
Unreal 3.2's "new-style" configuration file format is described as "more verbose" than traditional IRCd servers, which makes it easier set up; it is divided into "blocks" of related options, and has explanatory comments for each option.
Reception
UnrealIRCd is "one of the most popular and full-featured IRC daemons" and is used on the largest number of IRC servers, according to SearchIRC.com.This server is described as having "possibly the most security features of any IRC server."
Security Issues
The tarballTar (file format)
In computing, tar is both a file format and the name of a program used to handle such files...
of version 3.2.8.1, from November 2009 to June 12, 2010, contained a trojan
Trojan horse (computing)
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is software that appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install, but steals information or harms the system. The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.-Malware:A destructive program that masquerades as a benign...
that allowed people to execute commands with the privileges
Privilege (Computing)
In computing, privilege is defined as the delegation of authority over a computer system. A privilege is a permission to perform an action. Examples of various privileges include the ability to create a file in a directory, or to read or delete a file, access a device, or have read or write...
of the user running the daemon
Daemon (computer software)
In Unix and other multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user...
, regardless of any user restrictions. The problem was fixed - the current tarball download is not suspected to contain a trojan.
The "Firefox XPS" cross-protocol Javascript-based attack on IRC networks was reported in January 2010; UnrealIRCd developers later released a patch to set its anti-spoofing configuration parameter to "on" - the default was previously "off" - and "kill/zline/etc such connections". It is the first question in the configuration file.